


Catch my Breath

by Bibliomaniac92



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2019-11-23 12:05:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18151652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bibliomaniac92/pseuds/Bibliomaniac92
Summary: Being a sole caretaker of an eight year old is difficult in itself. Now imagine doing it in a zombie apocalypse, and the eight year old is deaf, and you have asthma... yeah. The odds are not looking good for Dani and Aidan. Yet, that all seems to change when they encounter a particular group a survivors. Follow their journey as they learn to live and love, once more. (I'm terrible at writing summaries, please don't knock my story until you've tried it!)





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing, so please go easy on me. I'm also a working college student, so I may not be able to update on a weekly basis. However, I do appreciate any constructive criticism, comments, kudos, etc. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my story... Enjoy!

Dani was packing Aidan’s bag when she heard the first scream. Hearing screaming at a hospital isn’t as uncommon as people think. Often trauma patients, especially those suffering from severe burns or dislocated joints, will scream while being treated. Which is why Dani gave it little thought when she heard it. That is, until more voices joined the first scream—like some kind of horrific symphony. Chills ran down the woman’s spine as she whirled around, her eyes searching for the little blond head she knew so well.

Aidan was still sitting on the hospital bed, completely oblivious to the chaos growing outside his room. His arm swished in front of him as he flew his iron man action figure through the air. Quickly Dani rushed to his side, signing for him to be quiet, before taking a peak out the door. She was not prepared for what she saw. The corridor was filled with people running in all directions, and some of them were… growling? _What is going on? Where is Lisa?_ The whole scene reminded Dani of those Planet Earth documentaries she loved to watch—particularly, when a herd of prey is being pursued by predators. It was a full-blown stampede.

Fear developed into cold sweat on her skin as Dani slowly closed the door, trying to swallow the growing lump in her throat. She took a couple deep breaths before turning to Aidan. His confused blue eyes searched hers for answers, “What is going on?” he signed with shaky hands.

“I don’t know, but we need to leave.” Dani tried not to notice how icy pale her hands were.

“What about Mom?”

_Shit! Lisa was out filling Aidan’s discharge papers, but that was half an hour ago…_ Dani’s thoughts were interrupted by a loud thump on the door behind her. Afraid of what it may be, she threw her body weight against the door. The woman silently cursed whoever thought it was a good idea not to have locks on patients’ rooms. The thumping continued, but this time it was lighter.

“Dani,” A voice gasped.

_Wait, is that..._ Dani wrenched open the door and was greeted by the sight of her closest friend. It took a moment for her to realize that Lisa was clutching her neck, and a little longer before she realized the woman was bleeding. Trying to be gentle but swift, Dani pulled Lisa into the room and laid her on the floor.

“Let me see it,” she softly whispered to her friend.

With a whimper, Lisa slowly removed the hand covering her neck. Unable to stop the gasp from leaving her lips, Dani took a moment to take in the ghastly bite mark. It was a mess of torn flesh and muscle, and it was still steadily bleeding. The woman clamped Lisa’s hand back on the wound before rushing over to the bed and tearing the sheets off it.

Returning to her friend’s side, Dani carefully moved Aidan out of her way. The poor boy’s hands were in a frantic flurry as he tried to communicate with his mom, tears streaming down his face. Not waiting any longer, the woman quickly placed the bundled-up cloth on the wound and put pressure on it. Being a physician assistant, Dani knew there wasn’t much else she could do until the bleeding stopped. The bite mark was in a too precarious place to apply a tourniquet, and the flesh was too mangled for stitches.

“Dani,” Lisa gasped, “I-I don’t think I’m gonna make it.”

“Shut up,” Dani growled, “You’re the most stubborn woman I know, and you’re telling me that a little flesh wound is what takes you down?!”

The woman chuckled weakly, “E-Even the strongest of p-people die from blood loss…”

Dani didn’t offer a reply and just pushed down harder on the wound. Eliciting a wince from Lisa before she breathed shakily and gave her friend and her son a tearful smile.

“I love you my sweet boy,” she signed to Aidan, “Don’t you ever forget that.”

The little boy’s sob was the only reply.

“You need to listen to Dani. She will take care of you.” Her bloody hands moved gracefully forming every word.

Aidan clutched his Mom’s shirt and sobbed into her stomach. He seemed to understand the gravity of the situation as his little shoulders shook with grief. Making soothing sounds, Lisa ran her hands comfortingly through his hair.

“What is going on?” Dani whispered, the unwanted tears slowly rolling down her freckled cheeks.

“It’s true. The stories we’ve been hearing on the news are true. T-There’s something g-going on.” Lisa swallowed and gasped for breath, “P-People are going c-crazy… t-they’re at-t-tacking and biting people.”

“What?” Dani breathed in disbelief.

“Don’t let them get you.” One of Lisa’s hands suddenly grasped the woman’s arm, “Don’t let them get Aidan. Dani, do you promise?”

“I promise.”

With those two words the fight leeched out of Lisa’s eyes and her grip slackened. She smiled softly at one of the only people she considered family. “I love you jerk.”

Dani gave a tearful laugh and tried not to notice how the sheet was soaked with blood. “I love you too bitch.”

With a content sigh, Lisa’s eyes closed, her body went limp, and her chest stopped rising. Shutting her own eyes, Dani tried to choke back her sob as it rose in her throat. She leaned back on her heels and slowly removed her shaky hands from her friend’s pale body. She numbly stared at her blood covered fingers. _Lisa’s blood._

Everything suddenly came rushing back into focus for Dani. No longer was she blocking out the screaming outside the door, or the new sounds of gunfire. She heard it all as clear as a bell, and the popping of machine guns was close. Too close. _Aidan._ The thought of the boy spurred the woman into action as she rose on shaky legs and grab his bag and favorite toy.

Dani laid her hand on Aidan’s back, before gently directing him away from Lisa’s cooling body. The little boy did not put up a fight as he was coaxed across the room.

“Aidan,” Dani signed, “I’m sorry sweetheart, but we need to go.”

He nodded sadly while looking at the ground, his hands rubbing at his red, puffy eyes. Dani pulled the boy into a quick hug and then kissed the top of his head _. Keep it together_. Pulling away, the woman gave Aidan his action figure, threw his backpack over her shoulder, grabbed his hand, and headed towards the door.

“Stay silent,” she signed to the boy, “And keep your eyes open. If you need my attention, pull my arm.”

Only after Aidan nodded his head in understanding, did Dani placed her hand on the doorknob. _Here goes nothing_. She took a deep breath, turned the handle, and opened the door.


	2. The Hospital

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry about the long wait everyone; however, I plan to start updating more regularly now! Again, I hope you enjoy my story and thank you for taking the time to read it. Feel free to leave comments, kudos, constructive criticism, etc. Also, I may currently be in the process of learning ASL, but that does not make me an expert of it or of the hard-of-hearing/deaf community. Thus, feel free to let me know when I get something wrong. :)

The sharp tang of blood hit Dani before the sight of it did. Dani investigated the darken hallway with a feeling of detachment, surveying the blood coating the floor and walls. _Huh… its like a gruesome finger-painting. Also, when did the lights go out?_ A hysterical giggle threatened to bubble past the woman’s lips, but the small hand grasped in hers tightened. The action grounded Dani and reminded her of what she promised and what she needed to do.

Keeping close to the wall, the woman moved in a crouch with her head on a swivel. So far she hadn’t seen anything moving, but she could still hear noises throughout the hospital. Dani tried to concentrate on the feeling of her hand splayed on the wall, and not the unmistakably human-shaped lumps. The wall was smooth and cool under her hand as she used it to guide herself towards her destination. If the sleekness of the drywall became replaced by something warm and slippery, Dani heeded it no mind. Yet, it was the sudden rasping moan behind her that caused Dani’s heart to lurch and steps to quicken.

The haughtily moans and popping of gunfire drew closer as the pair stumbled into the nurses’ station. Suddenly something rounded the corner as Dani dragged Aidan across the corridor and lunged behind the desk. Crawling on her hands and knees, she urged the little boy in front of her and directed him to hide under it.

“Stay quiet and hidden.” The woman signed, trying to calm her rapid heart. Aidan nodded in understanding, his eyes wide and his favorite toy clutched to his chest. Taking a couple steadying breaths, Dani eased to the edge of the desk and peered into the darken hallway.

The thing that had stumbled around the corner earlier was in fact a man, but there was something wrong with him. He moved with jerky movements across the floor—dragging a foot bent at an unnatural angle. Dani stifled her surprise as she searched the man’s face for any sign of pain. Yet, all she saw was eyes glazed with hunger as they landed on her. Dani tried to duck out of sight, but it was already too late. The thing’s disjointed steps quickened, and its moaning turned to hisses. _Shit shit shit shit!_

With no time to think, Dani rushed over to Aidan and dragged him out from under the desk. The woman tensed her legs, preparing to leave their hiding spot and sprint away. However, before she could spring into action, Dani heard rushing footsteps approach from the other side of the hallway. Suddenly a man came into view and shot the thing in the head. As the body slumped to the floor—no longer animated, the woman analyzed the newcomer.

Wearing combat armor and camo, the man looked like he belonged in the military. If that wasn’t enough of a hint, he also carried weapons that your average citizen wouldn’t. Dani let out a breath of relief and internally rejoiced. _The army is here. We’re saved!_ She shot a reassuring smile to the boy next to her before slowly standing up.

Since the man’s attention was directed to the newly dead corpse, he didn’t immediately notice the woman. Yet, the sound of an opening door caught his attention before Dani did. Not even ten feet away from the man, a door swung open to reveal a scared looking couple. Without hesitation, the man gunned them down.

A horrified gasp escaped Dani’s mouth before she could stop it. _I really need to work on my stealth skills._ Ducking out of sight once more, she pushed Aidan back under the desk. Dani then motioned for him to stay quiet and flattened herself as much as she could against the piece of furniture. Her heart was in her throat as she listened to the man’s boots shuffle closer. It wasn’t long before his steps halted, and his shadow was cast upon the floor in front of them. Dani held her breath and waited for death; however, she wasn’t the one who was about to die.

With a snarl, the corpses of the dead couple launched themselves at the man, completely taking him by surprise. He thrashed and yelled, trying to throw them off but it was too late. One of the corpses sunk its teeth into the man’s neck and his yelling turned into a wet gurgle.

Dani would have laughed at the irony of it all if it wasn’t for the sickening lurch of her stomach.

Hearing more approaching footsteps and voices, the woman took advantage of the distraction. She grabbed Aidan’s arm and ran from the nurses’ station, leaving the gruesome scene and impending company behind.

Using the walls to direct her once more through the dark hallway, Dani tried her best to focus on where she was going and not the growing tightness in her chest. It wasn’t long until she felt the familiar grain of the door brush her fingertips. _Huh, it must really say something about me if I can recognize this by touch_. Grasping the handle and turning it slowly, Dani peaked her head inside the room.

Rows upon rows of lockers lined the wall and, in the dim glow of the emergency lights, it wasn’t hard to spot her own. It was a struggle to quieten her ragged breaths, but nevertheless the women crept further in the room. Crouched low once more, she pulled Aidan along behind her at a crawl. Dani briefly let go of the boy’s hand to fiddle with the locker in front of her. With a soft click and a sigh of relief, the woman swung the door open and gathered her possessions.

There wasn’t much, just a bag full of her street clothes, her keys, her inhaler, and a few amenities. With a jolt, Dani remembered the pocket knife she usually kept at the bottom of her bag and dug for it. The knife was a gift from her overprotective brother, whom didn’t like the thought of his “little sister” to be unarmed in the big city.

It was a blood curdling scream, the first noise Aidan made since the death of his mother, that jolted Dani from her thoughts. Whirling around, the woman had enough time to throw her arms up before the thing was on her. As she fell, the knife slipped from her grasped and skidded away. _Shit!_ Dani pushed with her hands to keep the thing’s gnashing teeth from her face—grateful that its arms were pinned between them.

Flinging her head around to stay out of reach, the woman didn’t notice when Aidan rushed passed and grabbed the knife. She did notice, however, when he suddenly stabbed it in the back, and the thing. Did. Not. Care. _What in the ever-loving fuck!?_ Looking at each other with wide, fearful eyes, Dani used her head to motion for the boy to move.

As soon as he was out of the way, the woman grunted as she pushed the thing with all her strength. This caused it to topple off her and land on its side, giving Dani enough time to lunge for the still-embedded knife. With an emotion filled shout, the woman gripped the weapon and stabbed the thing in the head. Instantaneously, it stilled.

Dani’s hands shook as the adrenaline continued to course through her veins. Her chest felt tight and for a moment the woman thought she was going to have an asthma attack at the most inconvenient of times. With her luck, she wouldn’t be surprised, but thankfully that wasn’t the case.

Suddenly, Dani registered the sound of shuffling feet and whipped around, prepared to fight. However, it was Aidan’s startled blue eyes that met hers and not the sight of another walking corpse. Exhaling a shaky breath, Dani motioned the boy closer before pulling him into a tight hug.

They sat clutching each other for a couple seconds until the woman broke it with a kiss to Aidan’s head and levered herself into a standing position. It wasn’t until Dani bent down to retrieve her knife from the thing’s head that she recognized its identity. _Oh God, Zach._ She lurched away from the corpse and expelled the contents of her stomach onto the once pristine, tile floor. With one final dry heave and a stinging throat, the woman straightened on wobbly legs and tried for a second time to grab her knife. She refused to look at he mutilated face that was once her coworker and her friend.

Dani grabbed the handle and removed the weapon with a sickening squelch that made her gag another time. She guiltily whipped the blood off onto the corpse’s lab coat before putting the knife in her pocket. Without a word, the woman turned around and grab Aidan’s hand—his small fingers curling around her cold, clammy ones. They had one more stop to make before leaving this God-forsaken hell hole.


End file.
